Give Them Wings
by RenaRoo
Summary: How things may have gone differently if Airazor had been there for Transmutate.


Vo-kopen prompted: A rewrite of a later arc/episode of Beast Wars where Airazor is still a member of the main cast, changing the whole plot of the event. Like her advocating for sparing TransMutate because of the difficult it took to bring Airazor herself online, or maybe her perspective of Megatron trying to assassinate Prime. Sorry for my lack of Beast Wars knowledge if this prompt makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense and thanks so much for the prompt! I hope I do it justice!

Transformers, Beast Wars, and related properties © Hasbro  
story © RenaRoo

 **Give Them Wings**

"The damage was simply too severe," Optimus said. "This Transmutate stands as a viable threat to us now, and to put it simply, there's not a reason I can think to put her life before my own crew's. Stasis lock is the safest option for everyone."

Airazor had been silent for most of the discussion. Her eyes settled on the former protoform during Rhinox's scans as she drowned out the discussion – or rather, the _debate_ – between their leader and and Silverbolt.

She had hoped she wouldn't have _needed_ to get into it. Like a hawk, her keen observations were best left to her _eyes_ and not so much her _ears._

The malformed Cybertronian before her bowed out of scanner once the evaluation was done, paying no mind to the ongoing debate. She seemed instead interested in Airazor herself, giving a gentle wave of her large hand.

She was taken aback by the gesture at first, but then with a small smile in return, she waved back.

This _Transmutate_ understood gestures, and a cold understanding flooded through her.

"Optimus is right, Silverblolt, stand down," Rhinox offered, voice curt and confident. Scientific and _cold._

"Are we not Maximals?" Silverbolt begged.

Unable to take anymore, Airazor stood up, her wings flapped behind her to draw the attention of the others. Much like Transmutate, they had forgotten to so much as consider her in the conversation.

"You say the damage was severe," Airazor said, stepping toward her fellow Maximals, toward the bots she considered family. "Damaged like a spark locked in a stasis pod about to go offline, Rhinox?" she asked, eyes sharply on him before moving to their leader. "Damaged like an identity circuit that made the spark of my spark more _tiger_ than _bot?"_

For his part, Rhinox looked off. His eyes were reflective on the point and he grew silent as he brought a hand to his chin.

Their fuzor friend Silverbolt's eyes lit up, a smile growing on his face as he realized Airazor was prepared to bring her full protectiveness and sway to his side of the argument.

But Optimus frowned as he looked at her, expression otherwise stony. " _More_ than that, Airazor. There's a lack of connection in Transmutate's processor and communicating with her is going to be difficult. And that's even _if_ her central programming is unaffected by this. With the amount of power she displayed, there's no safe way–"

"No _easy_ way, you mean," Airazor argued, tapping on her helm. "There's no simple plugin and drive. Because Transmutate _can_ understand. She waves. She speaks. But it's slow." She backed off, shaking her head. "Well, I know all of us pride ourselves on our Cybertronian origins, but lest we forget that we are _all_ part beast. And the beasts whose forms we copied on this planet are not able to learn and live by plugging into their central processing. They learn. They develop." Her eyes flickered with intent. "Just like a spark locked in a broken stasis pod. The broken stasis pod that none of you gave up on, so that I could live and fight among you today as a Maximal."

Stepping up to her side, Silverbolt nodded. "What Transmutate is, is a sister-in-arms. She is an opportunity to extend the sort of compassion and integrity that was never going to be offered to her by the Predacons. Did we not see Megatron's attempt to snuff her spark for being less than useful to his ends?"

While Silverbolt's words were strong, Airazor felt herself flinch at the shocked expression on Optimus' face. For a fleeting moment, she regretted having her fellow Maximal leap to her defense.

Optimus' scowled and pointed accusingly to Silverbolt. "Don't you dare compare my decisions to _Megatron's,_ Silverbolt!"

"I was simply," Silverbolt began, but Airazor put her hand over his snout before he could insert another paw into it.

"Optimus, I believe we need to think of something Tigatron would say here," Airazor offered. " _All_ life deserves its spark. And all sparks deserve a chance."

"Tigatron is in the field right now," Optimus reminded her, as if she were reliant upon his vote rather than his sentiment.

"Because of a crossed identity circuit," Airazor attempted smoothly, her face furrowing as she looked into Optimus' eyes. "And damaged though it is, I would not have him, myself, or Silverbolt," she waved to the eagle-wolf fuzor, "changed in the least for it."

He looked at her before releasing a tired sigh. "It's not something I'm taking off the table, but you _have_ caused me to not leap into a rash decision, Airazor. And for that… I thank you. You and Silverbolt both."

A confident joy leaped into Ariazor's chest and she released an exvent of relief at being reaffirmed that their family were reliably good sparks with only the need of gentle understanding. Her eyes shone on their leader. "Thank you, Optimus."

The quiet smile that passed between them did not go for long as Airazor felt herself lifted from the floor by Silverbolt's exuberant enthusiasm.

"You are the angelic voice upon the Maximal team's shoulder, Airazor," he howled. "May it not be forgotten."

"Alright there, friend," she coughed, pushing off from her fellow flyer. "Lest we forget, this birdie's spoken for."

"Which is more than I can say for our new, probationary Maximal," Rhinox said, pointing toward the now empty spot that had once been occupied by Transmutate.

"You two," Optimus said, pointing directly at Airazor and Silverbolt. "Transmutate is now your shared responsibility. And given her power as well as the particular interest she got from Rampage earlier, I need you to take that delegation as seriously as Maximally possible. Are we clear?"

They simultaneously saluted.

"Clear as rain, Boss Bot," Airazor declared, taking to the air and pointing to the opposite hall. "Silverbolt, you take left, I'll take right."

Transmutate, for her power, was rather off balanced in her form. It slowed her enough that catching up on her trail took Airazor a considerably small amount of time compared to what it could have.

She swooped through the air, a smirk on her faceplate as Transmutate stopped and turned in surprise at Airazor's approach.

The expression on Transmutate's own face was nothing short of delight.

"There you are, my _Maximal_ friend," she said, fanning her wings as she came to a stop. Transmutate's expression only widened as she reached out and stroked her thick fingers through Airazor's wings. It was a bit harder than she would have liked, but far short of malicious. "Like my wings, do you? It's not that I can blame you. What time I don't spend in the air I spend wondering how those without a flight mode manage."

Transmutate's strokes did not stop, so Airazor turned her back to the bot. She allowed the young spark to explore the contours and the downy with great interest.

"But just because all my friends do not possess wings does not mean they cannot fly," she said softly. "We soar in different ways, you and I. And if it takes me the next four million years to help you learn how, well, consider it my honored privilege. Not that it will be mine alone. Silverbolt already adores you, he's a good spark. They all are. You'll love my Tigatron, when he comes in to meet you. Which he _will_ , I'll force him. Cheetor, too. He might take a while to understand. The rest of them might. But, like Optimus, I have no doubt in the goodness within them. And in time they will be the family you will be grateful for."

As Transmutate's strokes slowed, Airazor looked back curiously.

The other bot seemed easily distracted, but there was always a cause for the distraction. And as Airazor looked, she noticed a faint tick to Transmutate's hand, nearing an ear that she did not possess at the side of her head.

"What's the matter?" Airazor asked, drawing Transmutate's eyes back to her. "Hear something I can't?"

Slowly, Transmutate waved her hand, the same smile from before. "Friend," she informed Airazor.

"Where?" Airazor asked softly, though the word seemed lost on Transmutate as she looked toward the wall of ship.

Realizing what was about to happen, Airazor grabbed onto Transmutate's arm with both of hers. It was useless against the raw power Transmutate held, but it was enough to make the other bot cease from jumping through the siding.

"Let's find a door instead," she offered. "And if you have a friend you can hear outside, then we'll have to greet them together. With _all_ Maximals. Because we always have each other's backs. Alright?"

Transmutate hummed before smiling. "Maximal."

"That's right," Airazor smiled back. "Now, let's go see if this friend of yours needs to learn how to fly, too."


End file.
